There wouldn't be many who think Newpark Resources, Inc.'s (NYSE:NR) price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 1x is worth a mention when the median P/S for the Energy Services industry in the United States is very similar. While this might not raise any eyebrows, if the P/S ratio is not justified investors could be missing out on a potential opportunity or ignoring looming disappointment.

How Newpark Resources Has Been Performing

Newpark Resources hasn't been tracking well recently as its declining revenue compares poorly to other companies, which have seen some growth in their revenues on average. One possibility is that the P/S ratio is moderate because investors think this poor revenue performance will turn around. If not, then existing shareholders may be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

What Are Revenue Growth Metrics Telling Us About The P/S?

In order to justify its P/S ratio, Newpark Resources would need to produce growth that's similar to the industry.

Taking a look back first, the company's revenue growth last year wasn't something to get excited about as it posted a disappointing decline of 14%. Even so, admirably revenue has lifted 53% in aggregate from three years ago, notwithstanding the last 12 months. Accordingly, while they would have preferred to keep the run going, shareholders would definitely welcome the medium-term rates of revenue growth.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the four analysts covering the company suggest revenue growth is heading into negative territory, declining 1.5% over the next year. With the industry predicted to deliver 11% growth, that's a disappointing outcome.

In light of this, it's somewhat alarming that Newpark Resources' P/S sits in line with the majority of other companies. It seems most investors are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects, but the analyst cohort is not so confident this will happen. Only the boldest would assume these prices are sustainable as these declining revenues are likely to weigh on the share price eventually.

The Bottom Line On Newpark Resources' P/S

Typically, we'd caution against reading too much into price-to-sales ratios when settling on investment decisions, though it can reveal plenty about what other market participants think about the company.

It appears that Newpark Resources currently trades on a higher than expected P/S for a company whose revenues are forecast to decline. With this in mind, we don't feel the current P/S is justified as declining revenues are unlikely to support a more positive sentiment for long. If the declining revenues were to materialize in the form of a declining share price, shareholders will be feeling the pinch.

Many other vital risk factors can be found on the company's balance sheet. Take a look at our free balance sheet analysis for Newpark Resources with six simple checks on some of these key factors.

If companies with solid past earnings growth is up your alley, you may wish to see this free collection of other companies with strong earnings growth and low P/E ratios.

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